The Mother

Mike Smith

English 169T

"The Mother"

How much effort do people put forth to understand one another? In Ginzburg's "The Mother," a young woman is seen through her children's eyes. Her boys are young and do not see what the mother has been through and continues to go through for their benefit. On the other hand, the boys' grandparents and neighbors also do not seem to acknowledge the woman's struggles and sacrifices. No one in this story seems to be willing to make the effort to understand anyone else.

The story takes place shortly after a war, most likely World War II. The children remember playing "among the ruins of the public baths, which had been blown up in an air raid" (324), and their grandmother wears a "picture of Uncle Orneste who had died in the war . . ." (325). These are people who have dealt with the tragedies of war and the death it brought; however, they cannot or will not realize the tragedy of the titular character's current station in life. The mother "had the misfortune to lose her husband when she was still young" (324) and Granny tells the family "they should feel sorry for her because she had been very unfortunate . . ." (324). The mother goes out all the time and rarely gets to see her boys before she goes out again. Since the story most likely takes place shortly after Italy's part in the war ended and their way of life radically changed, it can be assumed that a single mother of two might have some trouble finding gainful employment in the early months and years after the country's decline.

There is evidence in the story that perhaps the mother had to turn to prostitution or some other illicit activity to pay her dues to her family. She is confronted by her children's grandfather who says,